A Wake Up Call

“For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”  Hebrews 10:30-31 NKJV

“For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;”  and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)—then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,”  2 Peter 2:4-9  NKJV

“O God, how long will the adversary reproach? Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever? Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand? [Take it] out of Your bosom and destroy [them].”   Psalm 74:10-11 NKJV

A phrase I have seen used repeatedly in many commentaries these past few days following the horrific murder of Charlie Kirk is, “a wake-up call”.  Truthfully I couldn’t agree more and I can’t help but believe God allowed this to occur for that very reason.  While many believers are aware and acknowledge the fact we appear to be living in the last days, along with the rapture of Church seemingly imminent, there are those who still wish to deny the evidence of where we seem  to be on God’s timeline for this world.  From what I have heard and read in the past few days, though, it would appear that many who have previously held that opinion are swiftly reconsidering their position.

When talking about the end times, I have found that most are familiar with the statement of Jesus comparing that period of time with the “days of Noah”.  One of the things I have often thought about is the fact that Noah and his family were outnumbered by roughly eight to the rest of the entire world.  Pretty lousy odds, wouldn't you say? Have you ever tried to put yourself in Noah’s place and think about how it would feel to be in that predicament and consider just what manner of abuse you would be subjected to?  Somehow I don’t believe the reaction of the world was limited to just scorn and laughter.  Is it so hard to believe that there may have been physical attacks as well?

As I thought about that this past week, I couldn’t help but think about some of the  other events of the past year where those who held beliefs based on the Word of God which were not popular with the rest of the world, were subjected to not only disapproval but outright hostility.  The unfortunate reality of the times we are living in today is that believers who choose to speak out in love are being targeted by unbelievers and subjected to anger, physical attacks, and now even death. How ironic that those who have for so long preached tolerance and acceptance are somehow unwilling to practice what they preach.

As I have watched the evolution of this culture of intolerance for those who choose to follow the teachings of God, and to use the Bible as a guide for their beliefs and lifestyles, I can’t help but think of Noah and how he and his family must have felt being surrounded by an unbelieving world.  What do you think the odds were that they suffered abuse and persecution at the hands of those around them?  Jesus made a statement during His ministry which I believe describes, as well as predicts, the situation both Noah and we as believers today find ourselves in.

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”    Matthew 10:16  NKJV

Now in all honesty, how much comfort do you personally get from that statement?  Living where I do in the Northwest, I am all too familiar with the subject of wolves, what they are like, and what the majority of people feel about them.  It also goes without saying that it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to picture the outcome of a meek, tiny lamb being surrounded by a pack of wolves.  Yet this is what Jesus tells us our lot in life will be like.  Not only outnumbered, but placed in a situation where the rest of the unbelieving world looks at us like their next meal.  Just like Noah?

As believers, quickly seeing the odds change to the point where we are vastly outnumbered; don’t you believe that just like Noah we should expect to suffer abuse and outright persecution at the hands of those who disagree with our values and beliefs?  Jesus told us to be wise in order to cope with the situation we find ourselves in.  My answer to doing that is to look to the Word of God for guidance and direction and the wisdom to endure what is to come.  What follows is what the Holy Spirit reminded me of this past week as I thought about where the Church is today in relation to the world around us, and specifically the horrific event we witnessed.

Expect to be persecuted.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.”         Matthew 5:10  NKJV

Expect to be ridiculed.

“And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.”         1Corinthians 4:12-13   NKJV

Expect to be protected.

“Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings, From the wicked who oppress me, From my deadly enemies who surround me. They have closed up their fat hearts; With their mouths they speak proudly. They have now surrounded us in our steps; They have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth, As a lion is eager to tear his prey, And like a young lion lurking in secret places.”       Psalms 17:8-12  NKJV

Expect to grow.

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”      Romans 5:1-4  NKJV

Expect to be blessed.

“If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.”     1 Peter 4:14  NKJV

Expect to be rewarded.

“Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”       Matthew 5:12  NKJV

Noah found the strength to endure when the odds favored the opposition by an astronomical amount.  Just as he found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and was delivered from God’s judgment on an unbelieving world, so we too must endure until our Father sends His Son to take us home. It has been said that it is not how long your life is, but what you accomplished during it that matters.  While we mourn the fact that Charlie Kirk was taken, what he accomplished in his short life,  and what more his death appears to be accomplishing so far is all part of God’s plan for this world.  While we mourn, let’s not forget that God has promised, just as in Noah’s time, that the evil we are witnessing will be judged accordingly.

“Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”   Revelation 3:10-11. NKJV

This verse contains the most important promise of all for believers today, and that is God’s promise to keep us from experiencing the coming judgment that will fall upon an unbelieving world.  The pre-tribulation rapture of the Church is our reward for our choice to believe and accept His gift of salvation provided by the cross and a crown is promised to those of us who long for His appearing.

“Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”  2 Timothy 4:8. NKJV

Finally it seems appropriate to mention that the one thing all seven letters to the churches in Revelation have in common is the admonition to “overcome”.  Our choice to believe and follow Christ will not be easy, and just like Noah the closer we get to our day of deliverance the worse it is going to get.  Yet the reward will be great and we have His promise that He is “coming quickly”.  If you have never made the decision to accept the gift of eternal life offered by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ I urge you to do it today.  Simply tell God you accept His Son Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and turn your life over to His control.

 

Father, I know I am a sinner in need of salvation. I believe you sent your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sin, and I ask you now to forgive me of my sins. I want to receive your gift of salvation so please come into my heart and help me to live and follow you as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Keep watching.

Blessed are Those Who Watch

 

“Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. “It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. “Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— “lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. “And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”   Mark 13:33-37 NKJV

By now I am sure you understand I consider it very important for us as believers to do exactly as this passage commands; watch! Whenever I teach on this subject I inevitably get questions relating to what should we be watching for and what exactly will we see? My answers to those questions reveals my belief concerning the origin of many of the events we will observe. While many are aware that it was God in His inspired Word who has foretold what will happen, the truth as I see it is that most of the events we will see occur come from Satan himself because he too, is watching.

The truth is, nobody knows scripture better than Satan. After all, who has been around to study it as long as he has? He quoted it when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness, and he most assuredly uses it against us. So do you think with what he knows about the end of the age, he wouldn't have a clue as to when God was preparing to take us home?  Satan knows what God has in store for him, and when he believes the end times are approaching it would make sense that he would do anything in his power to release all the evil on this earth at his control in order to take as many down with him as he can.

I believe much of what we will see happen before the rapture is a direct result of Satan increasing his efforts as he sees the day approaching. I truly believe this is exactly what we can see right now in the world around us. So many events are occurring on a daily basis that it simply seems unbelievable that we could not be close to the time Jesus commanded us to watch for.  Yet as believers, what do these times mean for us and what does God expect from His children in these last days before the rapture? 

“But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience;”   Titus 2:1-2  NKJV

“Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded, in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.”    Titus 2:6-8  NKJV

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,”   Titus 2:11-12  NKJV

Now like most of us, when I see the word sober my first thoughts are about drinking, and not being intoxicated, but if you look at the Greek you come up with something a little more complex than that.  The word translated sober comes from the Greek word “sōphrōn” which means “of a sound mind, sane, in one's senses, curbing one's desires and impulses, self-controlled, temperate”.  As you read Titus, it seems clear that the issue of self-control applies to just about every facet of a believer’s life, especially as it affects and influences what others see when observing our words and deeds.

“The Church is full of hypocrites!”  Have you ever heard those words?  Isn’t it amazing that believers are so carefully observed and held to such a high standard?  Of course not, yet somehow there are many who ignore the fact that the world will watch us closely to see if what we are trying to sell is really as life changing as we claim.  If we don’t live up to the standard set forth in the Word of God, we become liars and the world rightly considers us to be hypocrites.  In the believers life, being “sober” includes being of a “sound mind” which would certainly include being honest about how we choose to live out our faith.

“Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; “and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. “Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.”    Luke 12:35-37  NKJV

In this passage from Luke, Jesus explains what we are expected to do, and the benefit we will receive if we choose to do so.  His desire for us can be summed up in just four words; working, waiting, watching, rewarded.  Let’s briefly look at these expectations in order to better understand what our Lord wants from us.

Working; “Let your waist be girded”.  Most of us have seen pictures or images of the way people dressed in Jesus’ time, and in truth, some in the Middle East still do.  Generally speaking, you wore an undergarment covered by an outer garment of long, usually ankle length flowing material.  If one was to engage in physical labor, the common practice was to “gird” your outer garment around your waist to facilitate the ease of movement while working.  When Jesus tells us to “gird”, there are two results which become apparent.  One, we are prepared to do His work, and second, anyone who sees us will know we are working because we are dressed for it.  Our work is summed up nicely in this passage from Peter, who also uses the word “gird”.

“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”     1 Peter 1:13-16  NKJV

Waiting; “and your lamps burning”.  If we are instructed to wait with our lamps burning, it also follows that it is possible to wait without our lamps burning.  Obviously it does no good at all to be waiting with a lamp that is not lit because you can’t see who is coming, and they certainly can’t see you.  First of all, when our spiritual lamp is lit, not only will we be looking for our Lord to appear, we will recognize the events which signify He is near.  Secondly, because our lamp is lit, others will see the light and be attracted to it giving us an opportunity to glorify God by sharing the reason we are watching and waiting.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”     Matthew 5:16  NKJV

Watching; “be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately”.

I have always been somewhat amused by discussions concerning the question of will we know when the rapture will occur?  My response has always been that why would Jesus spend so much time, and give so many illustrations concerning watching, if He did not intend to allow us to see and recognize the time of His appearing?  Understand I am not saying it is possible to predict when it will happen, but rather if we are watching and waiting for His return, just like these men waiting for their master to come, we will see Him coming for us.  Have you never been watching for a friend or relative to come for a visit?  Do you not see them arrive and open the door and go out to greet them?  That is what Jesus is telling us here, and I firmly believe that any believer, who is faithfully watching for our Master to come, will see Him as He appears and not be at all surprised when He does.

“Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. “It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. “Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—“lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. “And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”      Mark 13:33-37  NKJV

Rewarded; “Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.”

Is this not the ultimate role reversal?  Instead of the servants serving the master, as a reward for watching diligently for His return, the Master assumes the role of the servant and rewards His servants by serving them at the feast.  Can you picture in your mind the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Savior, sitting us down in Heaven at the Marriage Feast of the Lamb and then girding up His royal robes and serving us our first meal in Heaven?  I can see many of us feeling exactly as Peter did when Jesus went to wash his feet and protesting that He should not do it.  Yet this is exactly the reward Jesus has promised we will receive if we follow His commandment to watch for His return.  There is, however, an alternate reward for those who do not.

This past year we have witnessed an explosion of accounts by many who believe we are just a few short weeks away from the rapture of the Church.  I use the term explosion because truthfully, in all my years of watching I have never witnessed this many people sharing so many accounts, dreams, visions, and especially sound scholarship that points to the particular point in time that we currently find ourselves in.  Is this the time that Jesus told us about when He commanded us to watch?  We may not know for sure, but as believers, servants of God the Father, we have been commanded to watch for His appearing.  We do that by girding ourselves to work, to wait, to watch, and ultimately to receive our reward.  I don’t know about you, but I choose to faithfully watch. 

If you have never made the decision to accept the sacrifice Jesus made for you by dying on the cross for your sins, there is no better time than right now to do so.  Simply pray to the Father and ask Him to forgive you for your sins and tell Him you believe that Jesus died for you.  Accept the gift of salvation He has offered you and you too will drink of this cup of along with Jesus on that future day when He will invite all of His believers to join Him. You can do that by praying this prayer and accepting the gift of eternal life God has offered you by the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.

Father, I know I am a sinner in need of salvation. I believe you sent your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sin, and I ask you now to forgive me of my sins. I want to receive your gift of salvation so please come into my heart and help me to live and follow you as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name, Amen.

“And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? “Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.”    Luke 12:42-43  NKJV

Keep watching.

Gone Fishing

“And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.”  Luke 12:43  NKJV

I am enjoying a visit this weekend by my daughter and two grandchildren so I decided to repost the following article from a few years ago based mostly on the fact that one of this weekends activities is going to be taking the kids fishing.  Thinking of that reminded me of the subject of fishing in the Bible and the prominence it has in the scriptures.  As so many of us believe or time on this earth is almost up, I hope you find these words an encouragement as we await the call to “come up here”.

A subject that usually comes up between believers who are faithfully watching for our Lord’s return concerns the question of what more is expected of us than just watching.  A few years back I was fishing alone for my favorite species, largemouth bass, and while doing so began an interesting conversation with the Holy Spirit concerning fishing. Now that may sound funny to some, but we do talk a lot ( I mostly try to listen ) and He shared some things with me that I believe address the question of being a faithful and wise servant while waiting for His return. 

“Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."   Mark 1:17 NKJV

This was the first thing the Spirit brought to mind as I was fishing, and then He asked a question; "why do you think so many of the disciples were fishermen"? As I thought that one over, it occurred to me that obviously there must be qualities a good fisherman must possess which are uniquely suited for spreading the gospel. As I then thought about that, I came up with what I will call the "essential three".

A good fisherman is always prepared. When I go fishing, I always try to take absolutely everything I think I might need in order to be prepared for anything that might happen. Things like extra tackle, rain jacket, life preserver, power bars, water, you name it I probably take it. How often and how many examples I could give that I was lucky I was prepared. As my friends like to say, if it can happen, it will probably happen to me. Did I mention the first aid kit? I will leave that story for another time.

A good fisherman is always patient. I think anyone who has ever fished understands the need for patience, for on any given day your luck can change. I remember fishing one day in a lake high in the Rocky Mountains that I had hiked two days to get to on the advice of a guide who often took people there. I began fishing mid morning and for the next six hours caught nothing. I was so tempted to leave, but the guide had been adamant there were fish there. So I decided to finish the day, and it ended up that I was glad I did. About five o'clock or so the entire lake just erupted with fish trying to get dinner and I had an hour or so of fishing like I had never, ever experienced. I literally never threw a cast that did not result in a strike.

A good fisherman is persistent. You know, there are days where it seems all you do is lose fish. I have had  days where I got strikes, saw fish following my lures, and even hooked several large ones. Yet I never landed a fish. Frustration is easy to come by on a day like that, and I think it is pretty easy to call it a day and decide to try again later when things like that happen. Yet I do recall someone telling me once "it's called fishing, not catching, for a reason". Persistence pays off eventually, so it's better not to get discouraged if you have a day of bad luck for there is always tomorrow.

As I was thinking of all of these qualities, the Spirit then told me to read the following verse and tell Him what I saw.

“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.”   2 Timothy 4:2 NKJV

What did I see? Well, Jesus said if we follow Him, He will make us fishermen. So when He says "preach the word" I see it as telling us to go fish! As far as "be ready", I would certainly call that the same as being prepared. "Convince, rebuke, exhort" certainly looks a lot like being persistent, and there is no question "longsuffering" means be patient. So as always, my question to Him was, "is it really this simple"? His answer was, as you might expect, another question; "how are people like fish"?

So this one took a little more time to figure out, but here is what I came up with. In my experience, there are basically four types of fish out there.

1. Those that reject. No matter what you throw out there, they are not interested.

2. Those that are curious. They will follow your lure, maybe play with it, but never bite.

3. Those that nibble. They want a taste, but they won't swallow the hook.

4. Those who accept. They are not only interested, they swallow hook, line, and sinker.

After I thought of this, I realized that when teaching the Parable of the Sower, Jesus also said there were four types of "ground". As I have shared before, I do so appreciate the simplicity of the scripture. God has taken pains to write His message in such a way as to be simply shared and understood. As we "fish" by sharing the Gospel with an unbelieving world, remember the message from Paul to Timothy by being prepared, patient, and especially persistent. and never forget we are called to be fishers of men.

“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” Romans 11:25 NKJV

 

Scholars have noted that the phrase “fullness of the Gentiles has come in” is a term taken from the waterfront referring to a ship waiting to sail until all the crew has come onboard. The following is an excerpt from a teaching from Jack Kelley on this passage.  

There are two Greek words in this verse that lend critical support to a proper understanding. The first is translated “full number”.  In Paul’s time it was a nautical term that stood for the predetermined number of sailors necessary to operate a ship. Until the ship had its full number of crew members, it could not legally set sail.  Sometimes ship captains who found themselves a man or two short when it came time to leave the harbor went through the water front bars late at night looking for drunken sailors they could kidnap.  When they had the number they needed they set sail immediately.

And the second, translated “come in” is also a nautical term that described the ship’s arrival at its intended destination.  We’ve all heard people say how much better life will be “when my ship comes in.”

By using these terms, Paul was saying that the hardening of Israel’s heart will not be fully removed until the Church reaches its predetermined number and arrives at its intended destination, which the Lord called “my Father’s House” in John 14:2-3.  It was a reference to the rapture.  There’s nothing arbitrary about God’s action here.  He has already determined the number and will take the Church to its intended destination as soon as it’s reached.  But as far as I can tell no one on Earth knows either the full number or the current number. All we can know is that we’ll be raptured when the full number of Gentiles has come in and it could literally happen on any given day. 

https://gracethrufaith.com/end-times-prophecy/no-one-knows-the-day-or-the-hour-2/

True believers who watch understand just how close we are to going home.  Our responsibility to be found doing His business when He comes is in sharing the good news with others.  If you are reading this and have never made the decision to accept Jesus Christ into your heart and accept the free gift of eternal life He has offered you, I urge you to do so right now. You can do that by praying this prayer and accepting the gift of eternal life God has offered you by the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank You for saving me. Amen.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”     Romans 1:16 NKJV

May Jesus find us all “so doing” when He comes.

Keep watching.